Previous Sightings - 2004 to 2008

[beachbutterfly]

I spotted a Monarch laying eggs on the 9th and the next day I brought some eggs in. Now I have 5 caterpillars. That is the only One I have seen so far.

[Fishslime]

after three weeks of waiting, I think my little girl has joined a convent-but good news, some real hottie is in town-and maybe met a few sailors on the way-I'll be collecting eggs really soon-thank God for those kinds of girls-hallayula ********* *** ****

[beachbutterfly]

I haven't seen a single monarch since June 9th. At least I have nine caterpillars to keep me company while I watch and wait. All my milkweed is doing great and my flower gardens are waiting patiently for some monarchs.

[beachbutterfly]

I just returned from California. I left some fifth instar caterpillars with plenty of food and returned to nine chrysali. (Good timing, no sitter required) As I went through the garden pulling weeds this morning I spotted a monarch laying eggs and on inspecting my milkweed found a few eggs and brought them inside. Those are the first monarchs I have seen here since June 9. All appears well and all my tanks are sterile and waiting. I also got my monarch waystation certificate. Go 1372!

[Melinda]

Nothing here in Erie, PA. The milkweed is blooming and the necter plants are ready but only one sighting so far, and not in my garden. Plenty of Painted Ladies though.

[Chademr]

I'm slowly seeing more and more monarchs here in upstate New York. Last Sunday I saw a pair mating. I'm going out tommorrow to look for some 1st instar cats and eggs. Wish me luck!

[beachbutterfly]

It seems the heat and humidity here in NJ is what monarchs like. I pulled eggs yesterday and I already have 7 caterpillars and I keep finding more on my milkweed. Every day I see a few Monarchs and quite a few swallowtails and painted ladies. Now that I have nectar plants it really does attract them!

[10kzoomfz]

Well, an update from SW New Hampshire. The outdoor eggs are not fairing to well. One by one they appear to be being snatched. Did see what looks like the base of one eaten shell but no cat in sight. All this on a small group of 8 mw plants. I can still find about 9 eggs out of an original 14 count. And still as yet I have seen no Monarch butterflies, anywhere.

My indoor squadron consists of one cat in the 3rd instar and four in the 1st instar. They are housed in one of those collapsable screen cages (called caterpillar castles) and with all the frass still quite small, I thought of a neat way to clean it from the bottom. Use one of the "lint rollers". Does the trick quick and easy.

In another cage I have reared (to take photos) and released two lady beatles. Also two weeks ago I discovered a group of about two dozen eggs on a milkweed plant on the underside of a leaf. Gray and shaped like barrels, about 50% larger than Monarch eggs, with the tiny barbs around the flat tops. I think they may be a stink bugs and can't wait to find out for sure.

[aggscott]

I found a ton of eggs in the past three days. All my old typical spots have the new healthy milkweed and will now be eaten by beautiful monarchs! I am so glad they are back.

I took 15 eggs in to raise and release hopefully healthy someday..


Aggie

[Rahbn]

I saw my first Monarch this afternoon and found one egg. I will be going out when it gets a little cooler this evening to look for more. Looks like it will be a good year. Very exciting.

[Melinda]

Finally, today I spotted my pair of Monarchs. The male is feasting on coneflowers while the girls is busy lating eggs out back. So far in the past hour I've collected 7 eggs and 3 cats. I've got to get them before the sparrows do. The sparrows have already been checking through the milkweed. Wow!! I didn't think I was going to have any this year

[Gwynne]

I still havent seen any monarchs, but last night I found six eggs. I was beginning to think I wouldnt find any eggs this summer!

[Fishslime]

July 12th, one week later than last year, finally got 15 eggs to get things started - going out to find 10 more - working with 25 every 5 days - shooting for 100 releases - wish me luck

[beachbutterfly]

We have steady stream of monarchs here at the jersey shore. I have about ten cats right now and I gave away about ten the other day.(its the manager in me, getting other people to do the heavy lifting) I check my milkweed morning and evening for caterpillars and only try to raise a manageable number. Last year we got way out of control and feeding caterpillars in the 4th and 5th instar became a full time job. ':roll:'

Good luck fishslime. Fishing has been good here lately.

[Fishslime]

- once things(feeding cleaning) get too crazy - plan to put a screen tent over one of my milkweed patches - plus containered plants - to keep the birds and bugs out - hope it works - last year I left eggs and larva out in the fields, which leads to the 1% survival rate-not this year-two females working hard this morning - will check the plants out later - now my neighbors know I'm crazy(especially the ones that have to work for a living-sure retirement is tuff - but I think I can handle it)Thanks Mom!!!

[cathy]

hi gywnne - i'm in northern new jersey, read of your b'fly questions. I filled an empty wine bottle (yikes!) with water, put a straigtened out wire hanger in the bottle, curved at the top to hold bridal toule fabric out, and then covered with bridal toule (you can get at fabric store like Rag Shop or Michaels and use it again for the next bottle or next year). The cats need a spot to "J" and then turn into a chrysalis and this seems to be a good method to contain them and give them enough food for two or three days, depending on how many cats you put in. I don't put in more than 5, otherwise I'm getting a new stalk of m'weed every day when they're big. Once they eclose and are butterflies, if you are releasing them, you can return them to the m'weed patch you got them from as cats ( this ensures there is enough food for them). I don't move my b'flies until they willingly crawl on my finger when I place it against their chest so I know I'm not hurting them. I put them on a potted plant on my deck and let them hang there until they fly away. You can just place them on m'weed and leave them there. They'll fly away or you can let them go outside your balcony. Just be sure there's gardens and flowers around so they have a chance of finding food. Good luck and have fun!!

[cathy]

i'm a new member in northern New Jersey (Morris County). I have seen only 3 monarchs so far this year, but have found 8 eggs (7 hatched - I think one got eaten by an ant), and 16 catepillars. So far I have three in chrysalis stage. Planning on releasing five or so in backyard (hopefully they'll stay in the area) and all others to local areas where eggs were found.

[Chademr]

I'm noticing very isolated areas that are full of monarchs this year, but others that have hardly any. Some areas that have alot are further north than areas that dont have any. Does anyone know why this is happening? If a lot were all wiped out in a storm down south or something than you would think there would be small numbers of monarchs all across the northeast. But from what I am hearing there are some areas that are full of them. My area is one that is lacking them. I see maybe one adult a day and last year I could just walk along the side of my field and find at least ten a day. This year I'm finding maybe one egg every three days. I'm getting very frustrated. Does anyone know why this is happening?

[Gwynne]

I still have yet to see a monarch! I did find eggs, though, the last two times I went out looking for them, so they have obviously been through here.

[crewsin]

I have seen only one cat on a single milkweed plant in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. It was in the second instar stage. Waiting anxiously.

[Fishslime]

last winter I talked with the farmer about spraying weed killer and mowing a field with lots of milkweed in it-maybe he's busy but the field has not been mowed or sprayed yet - went today to dig some plants and to collect eggs and cats-I must have looked at 250 plants - 5 cats and 3 eggs - WHAT!!! then as I was placing the cats in my pen a persistent yellow jacket kept going in - came out to find a 3 instar chewed to bits - sorry yellow jackets lovers of the world - This Is War - right up there with the stink bugs and jab beetles----two - three adult monarchs hanging around - 50 eggs and 25 cats going right now--

[jbardwell]

Saw the first monarch here on July 14th. Last year the first time was May 31st. This is a big difference in dates.

I have been watching for eggs and not seen any until today, July 20th.

Jenny in Mt Morris

[Orangeaid]

Plenty of eggs found the other day(100) with quite a few Monarchs around the butterfly bushes now. It finally started here at the Jersey shore . Alittle late but it looks like it should be good up to the fall migration.

[Gwynne]

I have yet to see a monarch, though I have found eggs the last four times I looked for them. I have five chrysalises now, one caterpillar J hooking, and one putting down the silky thread that it will J hook from.

[beachbutterfly]

We have had a steady flow of Monarchs, Eggs etc for all of July. I am taking it easy this year and only raising a manageable amount. Right now I have about 24 caterpillars and 8 chrysali.

[monarchmama]

Things have been going well here at Monarch Waystion 686. Spring 2006 I started a perrennial butterfly garden that included the normal butterfly favorites and several butterfly bushes, tuberosa and swamp milkweeds, (already had common milkweed, joe pye weed, boneset, and goldenrod established) and registered it as a waystation, but saw very few butterflies of any type in our yard. I remember seeing less than ten wild monarchs all summer including migration, and very few eggs or larvae. The ones I raised and tagged either came from my place in Erie Pa, or came in on milkweed I gathered about ten miles away in Jamestown.

Compared to that, this year has been amazing. Again I started out with 16 eggs from Erie, that I saw being oviposited while I was there on June 18th. Just few days later when I was back home in NY a faded female monarch showed up here and started laying eggs. It has been a steady stream since then. At last count I had about 180 ranging from egg to chrysalis. With the eggs I collected today I would imagine I am now past 200 . Except for the first batch of sixteen the rest are all from eggs right here in my yard. I had twelve eclose this morning and got to observe several of them come out. I never get tired of it, no matter how often I see it happen.

Considering what a dismall fall we had with hardly any migrants coming in over Lake Erie, I wasn't sure how things would go here at my new home,
but seeing how things are going this year, I have a new motto!
"Plant Milkweed and they will come!"

[Fishslime]

I have had a smallish female on my flowers for 11 days-the poor thing presents herself to anything that flys by-sparrows, wrens, swallows, other butterflies-she needs a boyfriend REAL bad-she just wants to do what she is supposed to-and I need the eggs- LET'S GO GUYS, SHE'S REALLY GREAT LOOKING AND AVAILABLE-maybe too available-I even sprayed her with the hose to calm her down a little- HELP!!

I saw this rather smallish female on May 28 - her personality(the way she flutters, landing on green shrub leaves, not shy can almost catch her by hand) well, she's still here - that's 10 weeks just in my yard - she's a bit tattered and not so bright in color but still doing the same things she did 10 weeks ago- neat how she picked my yard and seems that she will spend her entire life here - don't see any egg laying though - I'm sure we have some special connection!!

[beachbutterfly]

Still plenty of southward migrating monarchs here at the Jersey Shore. Yesterday was sunny and warm and there were plenty of Monarchs heading down the beach enjoying the seaside goldenrod and montauk daisies. The weather has finally taken a fall-like turn and things should slow down now, but who knows? There are always a few late stragglers. I have six hatching today and two more to go after that. I raised 110 this year not counting the tanks I set up in the local school. I'm sad that its over but now the fishing is improving and my attention goes elsewhere!

[Fishslime]

dug up a dozen rooted common milkweed plants and potted them ( 5/12/08 )-had received 24 cats from Indiana-and they were eating everything I had on the property - 5/20/08 noticed first and second instar cats on three of the plants-don't usually see an adult until the end of May and eggs/cats until late June-this was a surprise-cats from Indiana are all in chrysalis(5/22/08)so planting nectar plants soon-maybe get a whole extra generation this year, if things work out

[Mona Miller]

Who are you ordering from in Indiana? I am always looking for a good source for caterpillars.

[Mona Miller]

Does the person in IN have a permit to send caterpillars to PA?

http://www.forbutterflies.org/farmingusdapermits.html

No one is allowed to transport butterflies across state lines without a permit. I grow for conservation/education and I have permits for MD, DC, WVA, PA, etc. There is no charge, just the time it takes to fill them out and wait.

[beachbutterfly]

Found some eggs last week and had the first monarch in my yard this year. Now I have 7 cats and 10 eggs. Took out my tanks and sterlized them. Time to order some tags!

[Mona Miller]

But, you can't tag until late August. Then again, it is a good idea to order tags so that you can get them on time.

[Fishslime]

released 5 female Monarchs today 6/6/08 - hope they find enough nectar flowers and some boy friends-I left the clover up in the lawn(best for honey bee honey production)

[Fishslime]

6 boys 2 girls 6/7/8 - hot in the 90's and humid - this is 4 weeks sooner than ever before, thanks to Monarch Watch members -

[Orangeaid]

Have not seen many monarchs at all but on a recent collection mission i managed to collect 43 cats and 22 eggs. Not bad for not having any expectations. I HOPE WE ALL HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONARCHS THIS YEAR.

[Pat]

The milkweeds here are blooming beautifully, but so far I have seen only 1 male checking out the territory this year. Several years back we used to have eggs in June before the kids finished school for the summer, but in recent years it seems our females don't get busy til after the 4th of July.